In Pursuit of Happiness' cousin- Joy
I have a problem with Happiness. She is very fickle, temporary and most problematic of all, subject to the environment. Stuff make us happy all the time; the weather, food, friends, Chelsea FC's new humble status(lol), a raise, your new car with 0% APR, that Zara spring jacket, a guy, your child, your pet, your spouse, a rerun of Back to the Future!
These things can make you happy, they truly can. They possess an inherent quality which evokes a feeling of pleasure within us; but watch this, a man can make you happy, friends can make you happy, the same way your child can make you happy and then in the next second can easily tick you off; the same way your perfect-10 jeans can make you happy, when those lunges begin to pay off. You feel great, you look great, everyone on the street thinks you are Joy-Girl(pun unintended); construction workers are falling in gutters, cabbies are gaping, commuters are slowing down, husbands are getting backhand whacks from their wives. It's a great top-of-the-world feeling. Then comes a week long of ice-cream, pizzas, some caramel stuffed nutty chocolate bars; temptation galore which you fell into gladly. Now those same pair of jeans no longer make you happy; the construction workers don't notice you anymore and those that do can't take their eyes off your new tummy ( aka "the flabster.")
The thing about happiness is that it's subject to external forces, THEY own the power.
Joy, on the other hand is your personal decision to be full of delight whether your waist hangs high or low. I once met a homeless guy who honestly might be the most bubbly person I know. Even though he had no shelter and lived off the charity of others, he was such a riot! We might have talked for over an hour and honestly, when we were done I was tired, he was still roaring with energy! I'm like this guy though....even though he's homeless and lonely, he's full of an infectious, albeit exhausting joy.
Here's something even much more stable than happiness; Joy. It resides deep inside us. Situations and issues try to affect it but can't, not unless you give them permission to.
Remember, you are the sole protector of your own joy on earth. God does his bit and then you do yours. Do not let anyone or anything steal your joy. No one; nothing, not your jeans, not the construction workers, not even yourself.
xx
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Selah Quote
“We think sometimes poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this poverty. ”
Think Thomas
Thomas also known as Didymus or T.diddy or Doubting Thomas was a disciple of Jesus. Everyone knows him for being the guy with the scowl standing with his arms crossed and his brows matted as he stares down the other disciples, in bible stories. Sometimes, he has a speech bubble extending from his mouth saying, "If I can touch his hands and his sides, then guys, you've got you a believer." It's funny how I've never ever wanted to be Thomas. As a kid, I wanted to be......maybe Philip because I imagined he'd have a short, full tufty beard that glistened in the sun( I don't know why), or Thadeus because his name was cool or Barthelomeow because no one would ever send me to do chores with that type of name. "Barthel'-- never mind, John, please get the door." Never ever did I want to be Thomas. He was the faithless one, the doubter, the one who wasn't perfect because he needed proof. We all turned up our noses at him in Sunday school. I have a significantly sized nose, so me, most of all.
Then last week, a thought hit me as I had tea with Jesus. I came to discover two things: 1) Thomas was me 2) Thomas was special
Let me give you a little background: Jesus had died and risen, along with him rose other dead people** causing the creepiest event in history [Other formerly dead people were seen around Jerusalem; mommies in grave clothes appearing at busstops drinking frappacinos, and other formerly dead people hanging out at the local market and in hot tubs. It was Halloween on steroids.] He also had just made one paranormal appearance to the disciples to show them he was now alive, however, Thomas wasn't there. He was probably somewhere, doubting away.
When Thomas returned, they gave him the gist and they showed him all their selfies with the Master. He folds his arms, mats his brows etc. Then Jesus appears. Again.
Again.
He appeared again. This was a Jesus who had just done the most unbelievable, unachievable thing in the history of the seen and the unseen; he had died for man and risen again. I bet he was scheduled for interviews, lunches, world summits, Ophra must have reopened shop to have him on her show. Parties on rooftops in his honor; angels must have been singing and asking for autographs, God the Papa must have been waiting on tiptoes at heaven's gates for his return. But Jesus put all of that on hold and reappeared, to show Thomas he cared about him, not only at times when he had faith but also when he had doubts.
Whenever your faith is creaky, God doesn't kick you in the sheen. He does everything and anything, including walking through walls and letting you poke his scabs, just so you believe. So don't let anyone turn their significantly sized noses at you when you are weak in faith. You will in no time be strong. Don't think he'd rather hang out with the strong people of faith and no doubters. Just remember He came back for one man. So that he could believe. One man named Thomas.
xx
**Matt 27vs52-53
Selfies and Piggy-backs
Isaiah 46:3-4 (MSG)
The more I read this with my name scribbled in, the more I see myself on God's back, completely protected and at rest. Also completely taking a selfie!
If you've ever had a baby on your back before, you'd know that they absolutely love it. They turn their heads from side to side and smile to themselves (for some reason), poke you a bit and pull your hair (if you have any) but eventually, they fall asleep. It's a place of protection and comfort. Studies show that babies carried this way find security in their carrier, forming a bond, listening to the carrier's heartbeat, getting used to his/her voice and moving when he/she moves.
I want to hear God's heart beat, i want to hear his voice. And he promises to carry us till we are old. Like when we are 97, we will still be pampered and doted on by our God, piggyback riding and still hearing his voice, pulling his hair and enjoying the warmth of his love-while taking a selfie.
xx
PS: Scribble in your name in verses that show God's promises to you! What's you favorite promise from the bible? You could take a screen-shot and upload in the comments!
Babywearing: The Benefits and Beauty of This Ancient Tradition by Dr. Maria Blois
My File Cabinet of Wrong
“Love keeps no record of being wronged”
I keep records all right; color coded, indexed and filed. I have categories and time periods (for easy referral). Some people even have their own files. For example, my neighbor who never responds when i say 'hi' to him at the mail box. His file is green. Then there's that bully from when i was 8, my own personal bully. Her file is befittingly black with no gloss. There's also that lady who always meets my gleeful smiles and hi's with an arched brow. She has done it about 3 times (told you i kept record). The third time, by some clearly supernatural power she managed to arch both brows simultaneously. If you don't think that's supernatural, try arching both your brows at the same time. She was quite a sight. Her file is a faded kind of pink.
I have been meditating on this verse for like 2 weeks now and i'm sure even the cloud of witnesses are like "When is she going to get it already?", while fanning themselves with heaven type hand-fans. I think i'm not getting over these wrongs because i want closure, i want to know why in the world they are acting that way. In the ideal world, they would immediately feel awful for raising their eyebrows into eagle wings and run over to apologize and give a reason. Guess what, that doesn't happen. And then the bible goes and says not to keep any records. Sigh. So what's going to happen to all my files? How am I going to move on without closure, an apology, a picture of those epic eyebrows? Again, the bible says love keeps no record of wrongs, period and not love keeps no record of wrong, once closure is obtained. So i'm learning to live without closure. It's over-rated, honestly. All the power lies with the other person and their brows (lol! I need to get over this brow. Officially mentioned a variant of the word "brow" at least 6 times.)
This is the end of this post and right now, I am mentally setting fire to my files, all of them. Also you never know whats going on with people privately. They may be going through some struggle or stressful experience. I guess i'll keep saying hey until one day when they eventually respond. As i type this, i'm thinking about keeping the black file, but then, (deep breath) "Love keeps no record of wrong." Let it burn.
What's your file cabinet like? How do you deal with filed wrongs? Some people think you can't really forget, what's your take? Would you keep saying hello until they respond?
Why Christian Music gets Boring
Honestly, sometimes i get bored with christian music but that's only because i latch on to a particular playlist and i refuse to let go until i have Ed looking at me from the corner of his eye and he's like -Seriously? (He can sing Chris Tomlin’s Love Ran Red album backwards, thanks to me).
I know the solution would be to explore new playlists but i am a creature of habit with music and nail polish. Also, if you are like me and you like to sing along, play invincible strings at the bridge of the song or anticipate the build up and scream your head off in your living room in a praise cry (Think "With Everything"- United), you probably stick to the songs you know. However, recently, i just discovered a playlist on Spotify called “Why Christian Indie Music Doesn’t suck (with Folk and Acoustic music too).” So, it’s very indie and very folk-y! Love it, especially now that Fall is here. Check it out if you can.
If that's not your thing, try looking for new songs, so you don't get tired of your regular songs. One of the best sources for this, better than Spotify is - you! Yes, stop looking around. You. Try singing a song to God all by yourself. I mean one you composed. Before you panic there, it's pretty easy. Think of him and what he is to you, think of all the times he saved your butt! He fights our battles, most of them we don't even know about. He doesn't care about skill and the way your voice sounds. I've been doing this for a while now and let me tell you, if i ever appeared on a talent show with any of these songs, i'd quickly go viral as a meme but it doesn't matter one bit to God. He doesn't care that you think you sound weird. He really just wants to hear and feel your spirit worship. He doesn't care if you have a tech team and microphones. I mean Paul and Si were singing in prison and check out the response. Just sing how you feel!
Try throwbacks too. Sing old songs from different phases of your life that remind you of how strong and relentless his love for you is. It's usually an intense experience.
Still on this singing thing, I discovered one of the coolest, dopest things about God, which my mind is still unable to comprehend- God sings to us (Zeph 3 vs 17). Pause and try and imagine that. Whenever I imagine it and his mouth opening up to utter something.... I'm thinking, what is he saying? What does his singing voice sound like? Does he have back up? Is it Reggae? Why is he singing over me?!!! Honestly, it makes me uneasy but it also makes me wonder. I love that I have a God who SINGS for ME! And something tells me that sometimes he sings a new song and sometimes he does throwbacks; sometimes Reggae and sometimes he rocks an imaginary guitar!
Do you get bored with christian music sometimes? How do you get over it? Do you have an imaginary guitar?
“You are blessed when you’re content with just who you are - no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourself a proud owner of everything that can’t be bought.”
Matthew 5 verse 5 (MSG version)
Bet you didn't know Jesus' diction was so hot!
Remember to share with a friend!